Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
1191. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to implement target strategies to attract and retain qualified staff by providing better wages, working conditions and professional opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35996/23]
View answerThe HSE Resourcing Strategy was published in April 2023 outlining the specific and targeted action plans for the following health service grades Medical & Dental, Nursing & Midwifery, Health and Social Care Professions, Patient, Client Care & General Support, Management, Administration & Technical. The HSE are specifically targeting Workforce Planning & Resourcing by Building Supply, creating Additional Practice Placement infrastructure and creating Career Pathways. They will also focus on data gathering of leavers and they will be Quantifying 3rd level attrition to ensure a full understanding of factors.
As implementation progresses, they will be measured against the Resourcing Programme Measures. They will be monitored to deliver services and professions measured through the lens of an integrated care model aligned with the future structure of the Regional Health Authorities (RHA). We recognise that as the transition to the RHA structure progresses, the work of the Programme must continue to evolve to meet these transitions and the wider health service requirements.
There has been unprecedented growth in all staff categories in the Health Service over recent years. In June the total workforce stands at 141,397 WTE. This is an increase of 761 WTE from May figures. In 2020, 2021 and 2022 the HSE achieved the three largest increases in the workforce since the foundation of the HSE. This expansion is continuing in 2023 with an expected growth of 6,000 WTE. There are 21,584 more WTE working in our health service than there were at the beginning of 2020. This includes 6,557 nurses and midwives; 3,233 health and social care professionals; and 2,049 doctors and dentists. Work is ongoing to improve retention policies, speed up recruitment processes and to add more educational places to expand the workforce to the largest extent possible.
The Department and the HSE are working together to increase the supply of healthcare professionals across all professions. The HSE is focused on retention of existing HSE staff and maximising the number of health care graduates from Irish colleges entering the public health services.
The HSE are targeting all nursing, midwifery and health and social care graduates across all Irish colleges with the offer of permanent positions in the HSE, together with competitive relocation packages to entice our graduates from previous years home.
